How can i proceed?

Question

I would like to start a family tree. I have a problem. both of my grandparents on my father's side are deceased. I do not have their parents' names nor do i have contact with my father to obtain them. Is there a website, company, or entity that is able to find out my great grandparents names based on me providing information to them?

If i hire someone to do my genealogy is it guaranteed to be accurate?

Answer 1

If you know when and where your grandparents died, you can order a copy of their death certificates.  Death certificates will usually include the deceased person's birth date, place of birth, parents' names, and parents' places of birth.  This website has information on how to obtain death certificates for each State:

http://www.vitalrec.com/

When ordering a record, you'll need to provide their full names, the county where they died, and the approximate death date.  If you're lacking some of that info, you can search for them on the Social Security Death Index at www.rootsweb.com.

Answer 2

There are 400,000 free web sites. Write to me if you want a short list of the huge ones for use in the USA, or look at the resolved questions. All of us top 10 have our stock answers. You can use the free sites to research your grandparents. People here will help you if they can.

No genealogy, hired or not, is guaranteed to be accurate. If your great grandmother had a fling with the hired man the weekend great grandpa went to Chicago, but they were both tall men with dark curly hair and she never told, no one will ever know that your grandfather was really a "Smith", not a "Johnson" unless you get a DNA test. All of the records that you or a professional will find will have him as GGP's son.

Any reputable professional will cite sources. They charge anywhere from $25 - $100 an hour. The latter is for a Ph. D. who lives in Salt Lake City.

If your grandparents had USA SSNs, you can get their applications for $27 each. They filled them out when they were alive, so the data should be reasonable. Each will have the name, father's name, mother's maiden name, person's address at the time, his/her birth date and place and his/her employer at the time. Write if you want that link.

Answer 3

do you know or have contact with any of your father's relatives, an aunt or uncle perhaps?  Check with them, they may have the information.  Do you know when your grandparents died?  Check the social Security Death Index(www.rootsweb.com) and get their application papers, that should give their parents name.